The Cheese Slice at 99? Fresh Pizza in Greenwich Village

February 18, 2010

Enthusiastic munchers line up outside the micro-pizzeria all day and late into the night.

Pizza prices have inflated over the last few years, so that today an indifferent slice from a corner pizza parlor can cost you $2.50 or more. And as for an effete slice made in a wood-burning oven, or made with special toppings–the clouds are the limit.

Enter 99ȼ Fresh Pizza, in a closet just south of 8th Street in Greenwich Village. Like the sign says, the gimmick is a slice of pizza for 99 cents, which is an incredible deal. No toppings other than sauce and cheese available, which is kinda refreshing. How’s the slice? Well, it tastes something like frozen pizza–the crust is distinctively un-yeasty, the cheese modest in volume, and the sauce nondescript.

So what? The diners around me copping their slices were estatic. “Thank you so much,” one woman exclaimed, “I love you 99ȼ Pizza.” Indeed, if you don’t expect it to taste like your favorite slice, it’s totally OK. Reportedly, there are more of these places going in around town. 388 Sixth Avenue, 212-780-0020